Sen. Dan Coats’ decision not to seek re-election sparked immediate speculation about a raft of potential candidates for what was a “safe” Republican seat, and whether that seat is now in play in 2016. A flurry of articles and emails on this were circulating within hours of Coats’ announcement.

If I told you that a state agency, charged with protecting the interests of Hoosiers, actually endorsed the bid of an offshore equity fund to buy the Indiana Toll Road lease over a viable Hoosier bid, you wouldn’t believe it.

The widely publicized unemployment rate is one of those chameleon numbers, where apparent good is sometimes bad, and vice versa. All is not always what it seems when you peek behind the wizard’s curtain.

Despite having served in the House since 1982, Earl Harris wasn’t familiar to most Hoosiers, not having served in posts from which lawmakers are elevated to the statewide public spotlight. Nor was Harris well-known outside Lake County for having authored signature legislation that galvanized or polarized Hoosiers.